Official Sony Vaio Fit multi-flip PC Owners' Thread

Thanks jvan. Will do this and report back. Jeff

 

if you're still not having any luck, there's a long Intel 7260 thread on NBR here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/networking-wireless/716325-intel-7260-a.html

I'm sure they can help you out with troubleshooting your card. I'm going to start following the thread myself.

 

Hi guys im back since a long time. The new bios update ed up my flip. Its laggy, it runs hot and it blows a lot. How do I go back to the previous BIOS?

Also is your body also kinda warped? The aluminum is nice and all but really ductile.

 

As you are the first person who has reported success - or at least non-failure - with this BIOS update I'm curious as to whether things are still working well for you. Also, did you notice a reduction in fan noise, that most infamous problem with the Flip 13 especially?

Thanks, Jeff

 

This is something of a bump of my last post since no one responded. Should I reflash my BIOS to the latest one offered in the Sony driver page or leave well enough alone. I've seen a few negative comments on degredation after flashing the latest BIOS R1130VA. The update claims to reduce fan noise, but apparently so have previous ones to no avail.

Advice please: update BIOS or not? Everything seems to be running fine. Fan is noisy at Performance setting but fine otherwise. Thanks, Jeff

 

Sorry for the late response! The Flip is still going strong as I type this fortunately. The only problem I had post-BIOS update was a problem with the wifi card but I think that was more down to the driver update Sony pushed through Vaio Update (I reverted back to an earlier version and all is good).

I honestly can't comment on the fan noise. My use on the Flip has been somewhat average and nothing intensive is done on it. I just watched a 1080p video on youtube on fullscreen and the fan did start getting more audible. However, I feel as if the laptop tends to run cooler now (not 100% sure) as the bottom doesn't heat up as much. I should point out that I run the Flip at the standard setting for Fan Speed +CPU.

Edit: Just to note, I did the BIOS update through Vaio Update when it was available/prompted me to.
Edit 2: Also, if anyone who experienced problems after the BIOS update could tell me more about the general issues i.e. where it tends to lag, how often the fan blows out air (when operating X task/app/action) etc. I could compare it to mine as I use the Flip over the week.

 

We undervolted our Vaio Flip 15 with the Intel XTU Utility and now the fan does not kick in so often or stays at the lowest setting. I really suggest you to try this Tool - you'll get a cooler and more quiet Notebook.

 

How much lower did you set? I tried a few with playing Dynamic CPU voltage ofset yesterday, but it keeps shutdown under stress test. I couldnt go under 60mV and that gave me only 2-3 degree which is nothing.

 

The People who use for daily browsing and have problem with overheat, overheating!
(no game, no render, no hard use of cpu)

Firstable sony vaio flip doesnt have overheating problem. It is just the cpu! (haswell works like that)
For comparison
lenovo yoga 3 pro has intel core M 5Y70 ------ works with 4.5W
and mine Sony flip 14" has i5 4200u ------- works with 15W

Intel i5 series is really powerfull. So you dont need all that power for daily use.
You can "UNDERCLOCK" your cpu and keep your computer cool.

Here is how you do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGpvHPYokf8

I want to explain "Maximum processor state" a little bit,
i5-4200u cpu (which i have in my sonyflip14") is 1.60mhz normally, but it can work 2,60mhz in turbo mode (i get max 2.30 mhz (not important))
For "Maximum processor state" settings: 0% is 0 (or lower state the cpu can work)
99% is 1.60mhz (max for normal limit)
100% is full open which can go 2.30mhz
Just want you to realize difference between 99% and 100%

I set my system to 50% which is 800mhz. Cpu's max temprature is 60 but mostly 52-55. So i never get full speed spining fan. If i need the real power, I just click the battery icon on the task bar and change with the Full power plan (which already set for 100%)

One more thing.. "System Cooling Policy" must be passive
With that you say to your computer first slowdown the cpu than if it is still hot start the fan.
With active you say if it is hot first try to cool it with fan, If fan doesnt enough begin to slow cpu.
Well again slow cpu is still enough for our daily use. To not hear the fan choose passive

Thats all, i hope that will help

 

CPU -67mV and GPU -20mV. For us this settings are stable and maybe we try to go lower in the future. It is a Flip of the first generation with the core i7 processor. The temperatures are not much lower than on standard voltage, but it is enough to change the fan behaviour. It does not kick in so fast and if it does, it stays most of the time on the lowest speed. (office work) With standard settings the fan was "always on" and now it does stop from time to time. Try the lowest possible setting (CPU/GPU) for a week. If it does not affect the fan behaviour, then at least you tried.

Side note: Our Vaio is about one year old and at first the fan produced a very annoying high pitched sound... this sound did completely disappear. (of course not a result of undervolting)

 

Two remarks regarding undervolting:

a) Every bit (=degree) helps!
The reason for this is the darned fan control that will increase fan speed with every single degree if you are above a certain limit (with my 15" Flip it's about 48 degrees where the fan gets fired up). Three degress *can* mean three fan speed increases!

b) Undervolting is a "free" optimization!
If you have a stable system (not undervolting too much!) then undervolting has IMHO only positive aspects: You need less energy (for the same performance) which means less heat is generated which means less heat must be gotten rid off which means that the fan doesn't need to rotate as quickly which means less noise... Phew!
All of this for free - just invest some time and make sure you don't undervolt too much!

And now for something completely different: ;-)

A few weeks ago we had a short discussion about the new HP Envy x2 tablet PCs as potential Flip replacements, simply because, well, Sony doesn't make & sell the Flips anymore and supplies will dry up eventually.

The first reviews are in now and while the systems look like a generally interesting tablets on the whole they - like many new systems - have a more or less dramatic weak spot.

In the case of the new Envys the weak spot is the pen digitizer, made by Synaptics, which apparently isn't playing in the same league as the Wacom and also the Ntrig pens. The problem with it is that the pressure sensitivity isn't actually very sensitive which means that the user has to press the pen tip with more force on the screen. The reviews I've seen (including one from Lisa Gade from MobileTechReviews) suggest that the pen tech of the Surface Pro 3 is much better suited for "artistic" purposes than the one of the HP which is practically only good enough for note taking.

As most people know by now the Surface 3 Pro uses practically the same Ntrig tech as our Flips and is therefore comparable. You can use the Surface pen on the Flip and you can actually download the Ntrig drivers for the Surface Pro 3 on the Ntrig support website and install them on your Flip.
I've used the driver release 16 for several months now without problems but the newest one is release 17 which I haven't tested, yet.
This seems to be pretty much the only way to get newer driver releases as this Ntrig download site doesn't offer drivers for Sony products anymore...

All in all I think it's a pity that the pen performance of the new HPs is so poor - I hope they'll rectify the problem with a driver update but only time will tell if they support their product (I've seen HP take some drastic steps in the past so I'm not overly optimistic, to be honest).

 

My undervolting results...

-50mV cpu, -20mV gpu work well under cpu and gpu stress tests
But,
-60mv cpu, -20mV gpu work well under cpu test, crashes under gpu test.

Can anyone explain the logic? I didnt change the gpu ofset kept it -20mV but it crashes under gpu stress not cpu test?

 

First of all: You would have to ask an Intel engineer to get a reliable answer.
Of course these will tell "civilians" like us to not undervolt the CPU and stay within the specifications! ;-)

But of course we can speculate:

One guess could be that the fact that both the CPU and GPU sit on the same chip (an i5-4200 in your 14" Flip) has something to do with that, despite having separate voltage settings.
It could be assumed that both components are connected to the same on-chip power circuits and if you control the voltage as described above that the GPU will actually *not* get more juice but the CPU part will draw what it can and remains stable while the GPU, having a test workload, fails.

Another speculation would be simply that the separate settings work as expected and that while the GPU runs on full steam the CPU can't keep up delivering the data at some point (because it has stability problems due to the low voltage). The GPU then locks up waiting for correct data packages while the way more complex CPU (not in the amount of transistors but functionality) doesn't even register its failing.

Apart from these fishy speculations one thing is certain: Your machine became unstable.
This should encourage you to increase the voltage to slightly higher settings including some margin of error (for different room temperatures and usage scenarios of the CPU/GPU) to keep the system stable.

 

First of all: Thank you! I felt weird while i was writing "Firstable". I think music production videos fckd my mind.

I was thinking like that option above, but i will say whatever. i set -50 and -20 like before. not gonna touch anymore.

 

My Flip also isn't an exceptional undervolter: I'm at -50 for the CPU, too (it crashes somewhere between 60 and 70), and it runs stable for more than two months of "heavy duty" usage now.

I haven't touched the Intel GPU, though, as I use the Geforce GPU of my 15" Flip wherever possible as the drivers are a bit better (more compatible, at least with the programs I use) and it's a bit faster, too.
Initially I had hoped that the CPU will get less stress when the Intel GPU isn't used but that turned out to be false: When I use the separate Nvidia chip the system fan spins more frequently and louder, too, even though the CPU is still clocked at the same frequency...

 

The Intel GPU has less performance, but also generates less heat. So if you want a more quiet notebook and don't need the extrapower of the dedicated GPU, swtich to the integrated one. I'm not sure, but i think there are some tools out there to undervolt NVidia GPUs. (for Desktops: MSI Afterburner)

 

I just want to add to this discussion a benefit of undervolting that I haven't seen mentioned: superb battery life increase. I use Battery Info View which has the virtue of providing near real time changes in wattage consumed with changes in everything from content, to brightness and # of apps running and now looking at the difference between the same load at standard voltage is around 11 watts to 6 watts which takes the paltry 4 hrs battery life of my Flip 13a and brings it closer to 7.5 hrs. Oh, I should mention that I undervolted the cpu by -50 and left the gpu alone. Where has this wonderful technique been all my life? Is there something unique to Haswell that enable this or can I do this to all my laptops?

 

Well, I wrote that you need "You need less energy (for the same performance)". This implies an increase in battery life...

Have you analyzed how many watts you save when activating/deactivating undervolting (leaving all other parameters the same)?

The biggest energy consumers in a notebook are usually the display and the CPU (and the GPU if you have a powerful one, which we don't in the Flips...) so users should optimize here first.
With "display" I mean the brightness of the display which users can reduce to massively save energy as the display backlight is mostly activated even if the CPU isn't using much energy (examples: reading a web page, typing text).

Undervolting the CPU helps but not stressing the CPU helps more: If you play a modern 3D game with the highest possible settings etc. your battery probably won't last an hour, if you don't stress the CPU at all you will likely reach more than six hours - so you have to always think how you spend your resources (energy, performance).

Using optimized software can help, too: You may want to check if you use energy efficient software or not. Usually, you can recognize bloated and energy inefficient software simply because its slower but what good is energy saving if the software you chose is less comfy and productive? It's always a trade-off...

I undervolt CPUs for more than 10 years now, starting with the some of the more power hungry AMD Athlon XP CPUs. For example I had a 2100 XP that didn't run well because the cooler was a bit too small, even though its manufacturer stated it did. Ultimately I needed a bigger cooler and a bigger case but in the mean time undervolting helped a bit to avoid crashes.

I don't know for sure if you can indeed undervolt all CPUs on the market (meaning ability and stability here) but I would always check this when noise and/or battery life are more interesting than performance.
It has to be said that the newer Intel CPU generations like Broadwell are already quite efficient, especially if they clock down so the savings are apparently getting smaller with newer generations. Still, I have been surprised many times since I use PCs (1991)...

With PCs I never strive for highest performance but always for a compromise between performance and noise. Energy usage and costs are secondary here (not unimportant but secondary). This means I simply throw a bigger cooler with a silent fan at the CPU and get a quiet graphics cards with enough power. I also don't buy the highest performance parts but the second best parts (a Geforce 770 instead of a 780, for example). I'm even OK with buying a more expensive 770 because of a quiet cooler than a regular 780 with more performance.
While I have an unlocked Intel i5 CPU I in fact do not overclock it. To this day I haven't felt the need for it so it still runs at standard frequencies...

With a notebook and other mobiles devices you can practically forget effective hardware modifications/upgrades to the cooling systems, though, at least I have seen none that I would recommend wholeheartedly. Even changing the thermal paste is more complicated on such a system than on a regular PC and the profit is often very small (a degree or two).

Believe me: I would love to change the cooling system of the Flip if a better one was available - not to overclock my Flip but to avoid fan noise and throttling because even when I undervolt it and avoid turbo mode it's only a question of time until the thing reaches its arbitrary internal limit and the fan spins up.

 

Speaking of optimizing the cooling of the Flip:
I noticed that the system gets much quieter if I hold it upright in tablet mode (display in landscape mode) - which doesn't really come as a surprise as the airflow is of course much better.
The Flip then more or less resembles one of those all-in-one PC, except it has no stand to rest on and the keyboard is of course hidden (but you can attach another one).
Of course this orientation can never be optimal for all intended uses but it points to the right direction: Better airflow is needed.

I ask myself now if it's possible for a small metal machining outfit to produce a roomier backcase for the different Flip models (size variants), perhaps made from aluminium. I wonder how radio reception (WLAN, BT, NFC) would be...

 

Hello
I am new here. Cant find how to post a new question here in the "Sony Owners' Lounge Forum". So took the "Quick Reply" route. Please correct me if I am wrong.
I have recently acquired Sony Fliptop Fit14 model laptop. I find it most irritating that the system has one terabyte of hard drive with only a single partition! It seems absurd to sell a laptop with a huge hard disk with a single partition. What makes it worse is that there is no means to further partition the hard drive into 2 or more partitions of my choice. Tried third party tool like Minitool Partition Master, but failed. On rebooting, I get an error message which takes me back to system recovery,after which I am back to square one with one single partition. I have tried all over the internet for solution, but there seems to be no way to do it. Can someone in this forum guide me? I want to create at least two more partitions from the C: drive ie. total of three partitions, without disturbing the original recovery and system partitions.
One more strange thing I have noticed is that in Disk Management console I can see two recovery partitions and two OEM partitions, plus one EFI partition. Why are there duplicate recovery and OEM partitions?
I have been unable to use my laptop since I got it two weeks ago,since I need to keep my data and multimedia files in different partitions.
I will be grateful if someone can provide me with a solution.
Thanks in advance

 

Regardless whether you like it or not most PCs you buy have only a single *user* partition.
This makes computer usage simpler for inexperienced users and simplifies the system configuration so that the support department has less to do (the support departments of Microsoft and the system manufacturer).
In other words: It's a way to save money and please the "noobs".

IMHO it is indeed and it increases the possibility that something happens to your data. Putting user data on a different partition is a good strategy to increase protection (for example accidental deletion). It's not the holy grail of protection, of course but much better than putting everything on a single partition.

I vaguely remember that Windows has a partition shrinking feature since Vista or 7 and the Flip User Manual has a small chapter about the shrinking of the system partition ( C: ) so that you can add a new volume (see "Creating Partitions").
Get the Flip manual as a PDF file if you can't find it on your computer (Vaio Care should let you access the manual).

This should even work on a hybrid drive (which I suspect that you have).

My suspicion is that you got problems with the Minitool partitioner because of the hybrid nature of the 1TB drive.

Hybrid drives have an area made of 8 or 16GB of flash memory. This memory doesn't work as an additional partition for data storage like a separate SSD but is enabled by the driver as a cache memory.
If the driver isn't active (using Windows Setup when reinstalling Windows) or circumvented (perhaps by the Minitool partitioner?) this can cause all sorts of problems!

One scenario is that if you change the partition table with a tool unaware of hybrid tech but boot the next time from your existing Windows installation the *old* partition table is loaded from the flash memory as the changed data was only written on the harddisk...

If you have a hybrid drive you should also have gotten a flyer in the box of your Flip called "Notes on Performing the Windows Clean Installation (Modifying Partitions)" or similar - at least my Flip bought in Europe came with one (in about 26 languages, no less...). While this flyer isn't really helping in your case it does warn about the hybrid nature of the drive.

And while we are at it: If you haven't done so already, you SHOULD create recovery media BEFORE you attempt to modify the partitions of your harddrive!

Windows 8 uses several hidden partitions and except for a small storage decrease this has no real disadvantage for most users. The big recovery partition with 25 GB for example is the one that actually holds the recovery data (Windows, Sony software, drivers etc.).
You should be able to find more exhaustive information on the net regarding the partition structure of Windows 8. I also remember somebody posting in this thread about all those partitions so you may want to use the Search Thread function.

 

Sorry for the long quote, but I think I needed to bring the context back. Jeff, THANK YOU for the detailed answer. I had been meaning to post a reply, but time is never on my side. Anyway, I am still using ethernet -- the latest sony update driver does not help, and drivers directly from intel and/or intel proset also do not fix it. So I am determined to open the computer. Once I do that, I do not want to use the old card and simply re-seat it in. Because if it still does not work then, I don;t want to have to open er up all over again. So I am going to replace the card whether or not it's the wires or the card. $50 is nothing compared to the over $3K I spent for this machine.

But, I am not tech-savvy enough to shop for the right, compatible card. Can someone point me to the right card for my machine? These are my specs:

Early Flip 15 in Jan 2014 (30-sVF15N190X)
4th gen Intel® Core i7-4500U (1.80GHz / 3.00GHz with Turbo Boost)
Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
Microsoft® Office 2013 trial version
Fresh Start
15.5" over Full HD IPS TRILUMINOS Display for mobile (2880 x 1620)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 735M w/ Optimus (2GB) hybrid graphics
512GB (512GB x1) solid state drive
16GB (8GB x2) DDR3L-1600MHz
Active Pen
No Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software
No Imagination Studio software
No additional antivirus software
No installation option
3 Yr Express Ship Protection Plan with Accidental Damage from Handling for Laptops

 

Has anyone had a problem with the keyboard going in and out on their Flip? Mine's been doing it off and on. I've tried uninstalling the KB from Device Manager, opening the case up and checking for any loose connections, to no help. Noticed that it'll kick back in if I tap the laptop or flick the screen release switch once and back. Booting up into BIOS will also have the keyboard not respond sometimes.

I'm on a Flip 14, running 8.1

 

JP, I'm not positive what part#/size to get, but I think it's very standard and common (more like $25). Suggestion, make a new post without all the background and ask if someone could describe or, better, link you to the correct part on Amazon. I'm not hardware savvy enough to day for sure, but I would bet any Intel 7260 a/g/n card will fo it. You can get the 7260AC but its been a bit more unreliable. Good luck!

 

Thank you Calibrator for your quick response. I could not reply earlier since I was down with the Flu.
I appreciate your sincere efforts to help me, but still a lot of things remain unanswered and I am still without a solution to my problem.

Well, that was more of a "Microsoft sponsored" sort of an answer! Computers are not manufactured for noobs alone. In fact, very few noobs buy a new PC off the shelf. IMHO the usual practice is to learn on a used computer, and once on track, go for a new PC/Laptop. So I think the strategy should not be wholly "noob" oriented. Do I have a solution? Well, yes. Why not ship a laptop with a single partition, but with the provision for easy re-partitioning, in case someone (like me) wants to? That way the noob can carry on happily as a noob, and the advanced user can partition his HDD to his satisfaction. And if that does not solve the economics part of your solution, the company can include a disclaimer like "warranty shall be void if hard drive is partitioned with more than one partition" or something like that, absolving them of any liabilities of customer support.

Thank you for partially agreeing with me. The idea here is not data protection against accidental deletion, but data protection against "deliberate" deletion by Microsoft. Sorry for being harsh, but let me explain. In my 30 years or so of computer experience, I have hardly come across catastrophic failure in hard drives (maybe 3-4 times). But I have faced critical Windows failures umpteen number of times. By critical failure I mean a condition in which the only solution is to re-install Windows. And I am happy to say that I have been saved from data destruction hundreds of times, thanks to my separate Windows and data partitions! As far as the "holy grail" of data protection goes, it is needless to say that I do have multiple backups on various media, including external hard drives. So that brings me back to the requirement of extra partitions not for protection against accidental erasure of data, but sudden Windows failure.

 

I realized that my GPU runs in idle at 600Mhz, when I do graphic intense things it will go down to 550Mhz ... .
Is there a way to change it to 200Mhz (idle)
4500U

 

OK, here's the skinny -- I have on original model flip 15. Need to order a wifi card to replace the intel inside (7260). Not sure exactly what card I have -- the device manager says 7260N, but maybe that's wrong since it's never worked right.

Please someone point me to an amazon link or model number card to replace the one I have. I'd prefer to stay away from intel 7260 in case there is a software problem angel to this. But I am not tech savvy enough to select the right model, or if only an intel 7260 will do.

 

Looking for replacement rubber feet and long strip for a Flip 14a SVF14N13CXB. Does anyone know of a source for these?

 

I am determined to stay away from an intel wifi card, just in case my computer's messed up and can't talk to it. Seems a broadcom card should work. Please someone help me by pointing to a card that should be compatible with my flip 15. On amazon I find three that ought to work, but I do not know enough. Any thoughts on these three?

Amazon.com: Azurewave AW-CE123H 802.11ac/nbg WiFi+BT PCI Express Module Broadcom BCM4352 / Bluetooth 4.0+3.0 HS Class II: Electronics

Amazon.com: AzureWave Broadcom BCM94352HMB/BCM94352 802.11/ac/867Mbps WLAN + BT4.0 Half Mini PCI-E Card: Electronics

Amazon.com: AzureWave Broadcom BCM94352HMB 802.11/ac/867Mbps WLAN + BT4.0 Half Mini PCI-E: Electronics

 

I have been having a problem with my flip 13' completely shutting down after about 2 hours of use at my office. I have it docked through a Belkin dock using DisplayLink to an external monitor and several other peripherals. I use it in the tablet position while docked. Several days in a row it started completely shutting down, I had never had this problem before. I assumed that it was overheating and decided to set the fan on the performance setting. Since I have done that I have not had the problem again. I was wondering if anyone else had experienced a similar problem?

 

I'm using a Flip 14A, and its so hot compared to some other models. But I never encountered this problem. If your Flip has been used in a long time, try to clean it !

 

Hey, I've searched this thread but haven't found anyone else complaining about the gaming on the built-in keyboard and touchpad. I have a Vaio Flip 14 with a Core i7 processor and 8gb ram, newly replaced SSD. Is it just me or is it insane that they keyboard can't accept 2-3 commands at once??? This makes it impossible to play any arcade shooter (e.g. Sine Mora, not that intensive game) or platformer since you can't move in two directions and shoot at the same time. Does anyone else have this problem and have a fix for it? It's driving me crazy. I cannot use the touchpad while pressing down on the keyboard either, so FPS are out of the question (they always were, but for an old game like System Shock 2?)

I also deal with a lot of CPU/GPU throttling issues, to the point where I can't even play old games or 2D games without significant slowdown. I know this laptop can't play 3d games, but really, it should be able to play weak 2d indie games without this many problems. Any help is appreciated, I just want to get more out of this laptop than a heavy web browser.

 

Not only Flip, most of normal laptops I ever khow has no response when you press more than 2 - 3 keys at once. You should buy an external NKRO-supported mechanical keyboard to resolve this problem.

 

Perhaps most people here have found few problems with these as they recognize the Flips as what they are: Machines not specifically built for gamers.
Of course you can game on them but you will have to endure a lot of compromises:
- Low to medium performance hardware, especially the Intel graphics (the Nvidia chip on some 15" Flips isn't exactly sensational either) and the CPU (the i7 is a comparatively slow dual core for ultra-low power use (TDP = 15 watts))
- Insufficient cooling system for continuous CPU turbo-use (especially older games that only support one CPU core) so the CPU performance will be limited further
- ...which will also result in quite a lot of noise, even with simple casual 2D games like hidden-object games or the Microsoft Mahjong variant you can get from the Microsoft store for free
- no gaming keyboard, like you already found out

I don't know for sure if that is the case (the games I ran on it either used the mouse or supported the touch screen) but I wouldn't be surprised. In fact even a lot of 3rd-party hardware like mice and keyboards isn't really "game compatible" any more because of the companies cutting cost corners.
Conclusion: Buy stuff intended for gaming and read reviews before buying. It will save you a lot of trouble.

I agree with the "use a better keyboard for gaming" above me. The Flip keyboards are simply not made for "hardcore gamers" as they need something more sturdy, especially with fast action games.
Stuff like n-key-rollover can't be added by a software patch/fix - if it isn't there you can only use a different keyboard, AFAIK.

Using touchpad and keyboard simultaneously is *no* problem with my 15" Flip, which has a Synaptics touchpad, but we already know that the Flips are built differently in some details.
Does your 14" Flip have a touchpad from a different manufacturer, perhaps made by Elan?

SS2 is based on the Dark Engine made by Looking Glass (for the first two Thief games) and its pretty much ancient. Performance-wise it should run well but it will have other problems: It doesn't support multi-core CPUs AFAIK so you need a patch for that.
Heed over to the TTLG forums at ttlg.com as they cater to Looking Glass games or similar ones like SS2 and *if* there is a patch available (and I believe there is one for SS2) it will be linked to and supported there!

That being said SS2 is a great game but not exactly a typical FPS. Most of the time it can be played like a Thief game with stealth and slow progress. Perhaps you should try that approach on the limited hardware of the Flip?

There has been written a lot in this thread about throttling but there isn't a universal solution that turned us all into happy people here. I believe the general consensus is that Sony intentionally sacrificed performance to limit the temperatures of the CPU (perhaps so that the device will always be "comfy" in the hands?). Some people even downclock their graphics hardware to get a stable framerate (with less details) but I remember mostly stuff for the 15" models equipped with the Nvidia chip so you need to search for this topic in this thread.

Some people undervolt their Flips but this is meeted with mixed success, too, as the CPUs are already designed to save power whenever they can. Undervolting apparently only reduces power tiny bit more (and thus temperature) and prevents the fan from spinning up a tiny bit earlier. But it will spin up eventually. At most you will reduce the spinning rate to a slower one.

 

Okay, I'm not sure why you are defending Sony so much on this point, especially that even if a laptop is not specifically built for gamers (and many aren't, look at 90% of laptops out there), that doesn't give them the excuse to miss a huge oversight like this in a $1000+ laptop. I've used multiple Thinkpads and Asus mid-range laptops and have not had this problem at all, at least with the keyboard presses. Also, there was not a single review that I read about that mentioned this problem about the KEYBOARD. I'm fine with slower performance but not being able to run 5-10+ year old games is a disappointment. I also wouldn't lug around a large mechanical keyboard to do something simple like press two keys at once. But anyways, I am just taking out my frustration on a forum and it looks like no one has a solution to the problem, so I'll move on.

 

Actually, I wasn't at all. I was merely trying to help a fellow Flip owner. It's now clear to me that I wasted my time.

Good luck! I hope you find a forum with more infos on these quirky machines as they weren't exactly megasellers...

 

Well, I can see where it's coming from. I like playing games as well and looking on Flip's specification it is an utter absurd that we can't play even 4-5 old games on mid details without throttle (and the Flip isn't even hot). Fortunately, there is Throttlestop, which seems to solve the issue partially (at least for some games). I wish I'd raise the throttling threshold somehow...

 

Same problem for me... I've updated the RAM from 4 to 8 Gb and after few weeks I've lost one of the rubber feet of my 15 flip (SVF15N1L2ES)...

Thanks!

 

I was able to replace one of the feet a while back by going into a Sony store (when they still stocked Vaios) and checking with the people there. One of the sales guys just gave me a free one right off one of the display models.

 

No Sony Store here in France where I live... We live in a strange world... The solution given by the Sony customer care is to send the Flip in Ireland and replace the rubber foot. Or try to buy it on a store where it cost 61 € (!!!!!!!!!) a pack of 10.

I've solved the problem yesterday buying a transparent rubber support for... Toilet seat! Not really elegant, I admit, but functional! Same height, self gluing, transparent...

Thanks!

 

Good job ! Being somewhat of a do-it-yourselfer, I admire this type of effort. My advice to those with missing feet or rubber strips would be to go into a harware store and look for rubber or soft plastic cabinet door bumpers, or furniture feet protectors, door weatherstripping (home of automotive), etc... and you'll find material to work with. If the rubber isn't self-adhesive, just get some good glue (read on).
If you still have the Sony feet but can't stick it back on, just use a hot glue gun or good *contact glue* should do just fine.

 

Hello forum,

I purchased a Fit 13A a couple of months ago and enjoy it very much EXCEPT for the two little 'extensions' found on the bottom of the screen housing. They are plastic and when I have the screen tipped back past 90 degrees those two plastic pins either dig into my lap or if on the table, make the laptop slide. I am considering sanding them off but wonder if something will fall off - it seems to look like a locking mechanism.

Does anyone know what they do and if they are sanded down to be flush, what will happen?

Thanks

Frank in Michigan

 

The price is ridiculous but of course they will argue that the production and especially storage and administration costs are the reason for that.

I call that "BS"!

This is a standard technique of multinational companies (not just Sony, but Sony is one of the worst by now) to force people into buying new devices: Simply increase the prices of spare parts to such ridiculous amounts and make the repair process so troublesome that the customer will rather buy a new device and rationalize it to himself with arguments like "the new device is more powerful, looks better, needs less power" etc. It is in fact often much easier to get a new consumer device instead of getting it serviced.

And yes, this *is* intentional and a consequence of rationalizing the repair process (sell it in every country via representatives but return it to a different country for repair, call centers are centralized in Ireland etc.) to make it as cheap as possible.

As long as we don't have laws that enforce a more consumer-friendly behaviour the multinational companies will try to live on the back of the customer. They suggest that they are a big, trustworthy company that specialized in whatever gadgetry but the truth is that they only "hard sell" now and don't care what happens after the warranty period, which they have to honor as this is specified by law also. As, like I wrote above, practically all multinational companies have the same behaviour in this regard the customer can't really do what he should: Buy something else!

This is why we need a general solution to the problem. We need companies to honor their customers again - even if it is enforced by law. I'm convinced, though, that customers will return freely when they see that they get great support from a company and purchase their stuff in the future.

Perhaps it's their rotten politics that are the reason Sony will leave the cellphone and TV set market in the near future (and has already left the PC market)? I mean, why should I buy Sony with their insufficient customer service if the competition has the same bad customer service but at least the products are cheaper?

That's really a great solution! This is something to keep in mind!

 

You wouldn't happen to know the catalog # for that pack of 10 would you? Not that I would pay 61 euros for rubber feet, but to find a cheaper OEM elsewhere of that same part would be nice....

 

Sony has just announced it is closing all stores here in Canada. They are not the only ones having difficulty in Canada, where online shopping has seen tremendous growth in the past few years. This trend will no doubt spread to other countries.

Back to the rubber feet situation : if glue guns and contact cement aren't your thing, I recently had to *stick* something and decided to try heavyweight double-sided tape (aka mounting tape) from 3M ; wow, this stuff really sticks. I used the 10lbs *Extreme* tape like this one :
Amazon.com: Scotch 414/DC Extreme Mounting Tape, 1 by 60-Inch, Black: Home Improvement
(you can find this in hardware stores easily)

 

No catalogue number.... But for the moment the two WC supports are doing their job perfectly, maybe better than the original ones!

I'm really a Sony fan (I've the Flip, an Xperia Z3 phone and the a6000 camera, all of them very good produts) and I'm so sorry to hear that they're in a bad situation closing shops and selling Vaio( and maybe also Xperia), the Vaio Laptops were the top and our flip is a beautiful machine, with a great design and really fantastic for someone like me (I'm a designer) that need a good pen laptop.

I will enjoy my Vaio, my Z3 and my Sony a6000 camera, hoping for a better future for SONY!

 

A bit off-topic but I'd like to throw my 2 cents into the hat:

It's entirely possible that Sony will have to abandon all their classic business sections to stay afloat. In the TV business they made more mistakes than every other competitior (except Pioneer and German luxury TV-maker Loewe) and the *only* reasons they still have is that they are a megacorp that can support non-profitable sections and a Japanese one, too (traditional areas are often left untouched for a long time). By the way: IMHO their biggest mistake was a cooperation with Samsung to get LCD panels cheaply. With that they supported their biggest rival...

However, as long as they are aggressive and careful in their console game business the Playstation will keep them afloat. But there is a periodical problem with that business: Every time a new console generation is introduced they have more losses than profit in the first one or two years as the consoles are still expensive to produce (especially the first(!) Playstation 3, the PS4 is much cheaper, apparently) and there aren't that many gamers on the new generation, yet, buying games for it. They have a major competitor with Microsoft since the Xbox 360 and many expected Sony to do worse - ironically, it was Microsoft who did the big mistakes this time and Sony was clever enough to exploit that, which is why their initial sales were so much better until Microsoft sold the Xbox One much cheaper and without the Kinect camera.
It will be very interesting to watch, how the next five years unfold and if Sony will stay on course with the Playstation brand - and if they continue to waste the profits generated with it on the non-profitable sections...

 

I found a part # for the rubber feet:

452757101

Sparepart: Sony Flex Rubber Fot Base Rear


Dunno if it includes the long rubber bumper strip... Sony customer reps are pretty cryptic in what they actually know.

 

Hello again guys,

About 2 months ago I've noticed very strange high pitch metallic sound coming from my flip - from center-right-ish part - to be more precise. The sound is very short and audible from the laptop, even when I plug in the headphones.

I've updated the sound driver but this didn't help. I turned off the HDD protection since I thought this might be the case, but this didn't solve my problem as well.

I'm afraid it could be HDD malfunction, since the sound comes with irregular intervals, just at random time and more often under heavy HDD load. I've noticed no performance issues, no lags, no transfer dropouts, no hangs and no crashes whatsoever.

Do you think I should send it to the service?